1 Kings 22 - The Death of Ahab

A. God foretells Ahab’s
doom.

1.
(1-4) Ahab sets his eyes upon Ramoth-Gilead.

Now three years passed without war between Syria and Israel.
Then it came to pass, in the third year, that Jehoshaphat the king of Judah
went down to visit the king of Israel. And the king of Israel said to
his servants, “Do you know that Ramoth in Gilead is ours, but we
hesitate to take it out of the hand of the king of Syria?” So he said to
Jehoshaphat, “Will you go with me to fight at Ramoth Gilead?” Jehoshaphat said
to the king of Israel, “I am as you are, my people as your
people, my horses as your horses.”

a. Do you know that Ramoth in Gilead
is ours, but we hesitate to take it out of the hand of the king of Syria?
Previously, the King of Syria promised to return certain cities to Israel (1
Kings 20:34) in exchange for leniency after defeat in battle. Apparently this was a city that Ben-Hadad never
returned to Israel and it was in a strategically important location.

b. Will you go with me to fight at
Ramoth Gilead? King Ahab of Israel asked King Jehoshaphat of Judah
to help him in this dispute against Syria. This made some sense, because Ramoth-Gilead was only 40 miles from Jerusalem.

2.
(5-9) Jehoshaphat proposes that they seek God in the matter.

Also Jehoshaphat said to the king of Israel, “Please inquire
for the word of the Lord today.”
Then the king of Israel gathered the prophets together, about four hundred men,
and said to them, “Shall I go against Ramoth Gilead to fight, or shall I
refrain?” So they said, “Go up, for the Lord will deliver it into the
hand of the king.” And Jehoshaphat said, “Is there not still a prophet
of the Lord here, that we may
inquire of Him?” So the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, “There is still
one man, Micaiah the son of Imlah, by whom we may inquire of the Lord; but I hate him, because he does
not prophesy good concerning me, but evil.” And Jehoshaphat said, “Let not the
king say such things!” Then the king of Israel called an officer and said,
“Bring Micaiah the son of Imlah quickly!”

a. Please inquire for the word of
the Lord today:
Considering the generally adversarial relationship between Ahab and the
prophets of Yahweh, this was a bold request of Jehoshaphat to ask of Ahab. It
wasn’t surprising that Ahab picked prophets who would tell them that they
wanted to hear.

b. Go up, for the Lord will deliver
it into the hand of the king: When Ahab gathered the prophets, they
were not faithful prophets of the Lord.
These were prophets happy to please their kings, and to tell them what they
wanted to hear. Jehoshaphat still wanted to hear from a prophet of Yahweh, the Lord (Is
there not still a prophet of the Lord
here, that we may inquire of Him?).

c. I
hate him, because he does not prophesy good concerning me, but evil:
Ahab hated the messenger because of the message. His real conflict was with
God, but he focused his hatred against the prophet Micaiah. Yet he was willing
to listen to the King of Judah when he advised that Ahab should listen
to the Prophet Micaiah.

3.
(10-12) An object less from the unfaithful prophets.

The king of Israel and Jehoshaphat the king of Judah, having
put on their robes, sat each on his throne, at a threshing floor at the
entrance of the gate of Samaria; and all the prophets prophesied before them.
Now Zedekiah the son of Chenaanah had made horns of iron for himself; and he
said, “Thus says the Lord: ‘With
these you shall gore the Syrians until they are destroyed.’“ And all the
prophets prophesied so, saying, “Go up to Ramoth Gilead and prosper, for the Lord will deliver it into the
king’s hand.”

a. Sat each on his throne, at a
threshing floor at the entrance of the gate of Samaria: This
illustrates the ancient custom of holding court and making decisions at the
gates of the city. There were even thrones for high officials to sit on at the
gates of the city of Samaria.

b. Thus says the Lord: These unfaithful prophets (such as Zedekiah) prophesied in the name of the Lord, but they did not prophesy
truthfully. Many commentators believe these prophets were pagan
prophets, perhaps representatives of Asherah or other pagan gods or goddesses.
Yet they clearly prophesied in the name of the Lord. It is best to regard
these not as pagan prophets, but unfaithful prophets to the true God.

i. Perhaps these were true
followers of Yahweh who were seduced by Ahab’s sincere but shallow repentance
three years before (1 Kings 21:27-29). After that, they began to align with
Ahab uncritically. Three years later they were willing to prophesy lies to Ahab
if that was what he wanted to hear.

c. With
these you shall gore the Syrians until they are destroyed: Zedekiah
used a familiar tool of ancient prophets - the object lesson. He used horns of iron to illustrate the thrust of two
powerful forces, armies that would rout the Syrians. Zedekiah had the agreement
of 400 other prophets (all the prophets
prophesied so).

i. This must have been a vivid and
entertaining presentation. We can be certain that every eye was on Zedekiah
when he used the horns of iron to
powerfully illustrate the point. It was certainly persuasive to have 400
prophets speak in agreement on one issue. No matter how powerful and persuasive
the presentation, their message was unfaithful.

4.
(13-16) The prophecy of Micaiah, the faithful prophet.

Then the messenger who had gone to call Micaiah spoke to
him, saying, “Now listen, the words of the prophets with one accord encourage
the king. Please, let your word be like the word of one of them, and speak
encouragement.” And Micaiah said, “As the Lord lives, whatever the Lord
says to me, that I will speak.” Then he came to the king; and the king said to
him, “Micaiah, shall we go to war against Ramoth Gilead, or shall we refrain?”
And he answered him, “Go and prosper, for the Lord
will deliver it into the hand of the king!” So the king said to him,
“How many times shall I make you swear that you tell me nothing but the truth
in the name of the Lord?”

a. As the Lord lives, whatever the Lord
says to me, that I will speak: The assistants of King Ahab tried to
persuade Micaiah to speak in agreement with the 400 other prophets. Micaiah
assured him that he would simply repeat what God said to him.

i. This was a dramatic scene.
Micaiah was brought out from prison (1 Kings 22:26 indicates that he came from
prison). We see a prophet in rags and chains stand before two kings, ready to
speak on behalf of the Lord.

ii. “This might have daunted the
good prophet, but that he had lately seen the Lord sitting upon His throne with
all the host of heaven standing by Him, and hence he so boldly looked in the face
these two kings in their majesty; for he beheld them as so many mice.” (Trapp)

b. Go
and prosper, for the Lord will
deliver it into the hand of the king! When Micaiah said this, his
tone was probably mocking and sarcastic. He
said similar words to the 400 unfaithful prophets, but delivered
a completely different message.

c. How
many times shall I make you swear that you tell me nothing but the truth in the
name of the Lord? King
Ahab recognized the mocking tone of Micaiah’s prophecy and knew it contradicted
the message of the 400 prophets. He demanded that Micaiah tell nothing but the truth - which Ahab believed and
hoped was the message of the 400 other prophets.

5.
(17-18) Micaiah speaks the true prophecy from the Lord.

Then he said, “I saw all Israel scattered on the mountains,
as sheep that have no shepherd. And the Lord
said, ‘These have no master. Let each return to his house in peace.’“ And the
king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, “Did I not tell you he would not prophesy
good concerning me, but evil?”

a. I saw all Israel scattered on the
mountains, as sheep that have no shepherd: Micaiah was challenged to
tell the truth, and now he changed his tone from mocking to serious. He said
that not only would Israel be defeated, but also that their leader (shepherd) would perish.

b. Did
I not tell you he would not prophesy good concerning me, but evil?
King Ahab said that he wanted the truth - but he couldn’t handle the truth.
What he didn’t consider was that though Micaiah prophesied evil towards Ahab, he prophesied truth.

i. “Ahab knew in his heart that Micaiah would not fear or flatter
him, but only declare the word of Jehovah. This he construed into personal
hatred . . . Hatred of the messenger of God is clear evidence of willful
wickedness.” (Morgan)

6.
(19-23) Micaiah reveals the inspiration behind the 400 prophets.

Then Micaiah said, “Therefore hear the word of the Lord: I saw the Lord sitting on His throne, and all the host of heaven
standing by, on His right hand and on His left. And the Lord said, ‘Who will persuade Ahab to go up, that he may fall
at Ramoth Gilead?’ So one spoke in this manner, and another spoke in that
manner. Then a spirit came forward and stood before the Lord, and said, ‘I will persuade him.’ The Lord said to him, ‘In what way?’ So he
said, ‘I will go out and be a lying spirit in the mouth of all his prophets.’
And the Lord said, ‘You shall
persuade him, and also prevail. Go out and do so.’ Therefore look! The Lord has put a lying spirit in the
mouth of all these prophets of yours, and the Lord
has declared disaster against you.”

a. I saw the Lord sitting on His throne, and all the host of heaven
standing by: King Ahab and others at the court found it hard to
explain how one prophet could be right and 400 prophets could be wrong. Here
Micaiah explained the message of the 400 prophets. It is possible that this was
just a parable, but it is more likely that Micaiah had an accurate prophetic
glimpse into the heavenly drama behind these events.

b. On
His right hand and on His left: Since the right hand was the place of favor, this may indicate that
God spoke to the combinedhost of heaven,
both faithful and fallen angelic beings.

i. Some people forget that Satan
and his fellow fallen angels have access to heaven (Job 1:6, Revelation 12:10).
There is a well-intentioned but mistaken teaching that God can allow no evil
in His presence, meaning that Satan and other fallen angels could not be in
His presence. These passages show that God can allow evil in His
presence, though He can have no fellowship with evil and one day all
evil will be removed from His presence (Revelation 20:14-15).

c. Who
will persuade Ahab to go up, that he may fall at Ramoth Gilead? God
wanted to bring judgment against Ahab, so He asked this group of the host of heaven for a volunteer to lead Ahab
into battle.

d. I
will go out and be a lying spirit in the mouth of all his prophets:
Apparently, one of the fallen angels volunteered for this task. Since
Ahab wanted to be deceived, God would give him what He wanted, using a willing
fallen angel who worked through willing unfaithful prophets.

i. “It is rather a personified
spirit of prophecy (Zechariah 13:2; 1 John 4:6), for even the false prophets
may be governed by supernatural or spiritual forces rather than merely human
reason. It represents the power of a lie in the mouth of someone opposed to the
truth and speaking for his own ends.” (Wiseman)

7.
(24-28) The reaction of the false prophets and Ahab.

Now Zedekiah the son of Chenaanah went near and struck Micaiah
on the cheek, and said, “Which way did the spirit from the Lord go from me to speak to you?” And
Micaiah said, “Indeed, you shall see on that day when you go into an inner
chamber to hide!” So the king of Israel said, “Take Micaiah, and return him to Amon
the governor of the city and to Joash the king’s son; and say, ‘Thus says the
king: “Put this fellow in prison, and feed him with bread of affliction
and water of affliction, until I come in peace.”‘ “ But Micaiah said, “If you
ever return in peace, the Lord
has not spoken by me.” And he said, “Take heed, all you people!”

a. Now Zedekiah the son of Chenaanah
went near and struck Micaiah: Zedekiah responded the way many do
when they are defeated in argument - he responded with violence.

b. Put
this fellow in prison: King Ahab responded the way many tyrants do
when they are confronted with the truth. Ahab wanted Micaiah imprisoned and
deprived (feed him with the bread of affliction
and water of affliction).

i. Take
Micaiah, and return him tells us that they took Micaiah from the
prison to speak to these kings.

ii. “The phrase ‘bread of
affliction and water of affliction’ may be translated ‘bread and water of
scant measure.’“ (Dilday)

c. If
you ever return in peace, the Lord
has not spoken by me: The prophet Micaiah made one final and
ultimate appeal. He was willing to be judged by whether his prophecy came to
pass or not.

B. Ahab dies in battle.

1.
(29-30) Jehoshaphat and Ahab go into battle.

So the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat the king of Judah went
up to Ramoth Gilead. And the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, “I will
disguise myself and go into battle; but you put on your robes.” So the king of
Israel disguised himself and went into battle.

a. So the king of Israel and
Jehoshaphat the king of Judah went up to Ramoth Gilead: It is easy
to understand why King Ahab of Israel went to this battle; he didn’t want to
believe that Micaiah’s prophecy was true and wanted to courageously oppose it.
It is less easy to understand why King Jehoshaphat of Judah went to this battle
with Ahab. He should have believed the prophecy of Micaiah and known that the
battle would end in disaster and the death of at least Ahab.

i. It may be that Jehoshaphat had
a fatalistic attitude towards the will of God, figuring that if it all
was God’s will then there was nothing he or anyone else could do about it.

b. I will disguise myself and go
into battle; but you put on your robes: Going into the battle, Ahab
did not want to be identified as a king and therefore be a special target. He
thought this would help protect him against Micaiah’s prophecy of doom. It is
more difficult to explain why Jehoshaphat agreed to go into the battle as the
only clearly identified king. Perhaps he was either not very smart or he had
very great faith.

2.
(31-36) Jehoshaphat is saved and Ahab dies in battle.

Now the king of Syria had commanded the thirty-two captains
of his chariots, saying, “Fight with no one small or great, but only with the
king of Israel.” So it was, when the captains of the chariots saw Jehoshaphat,
that they said, “Surely it is the king of Israel!” Therefore they turned
aside to fight against him, and Jehoshaphat cried out. And it happened, when
the captains of the chariots saw that it was not the king of Israel,
that they turned back from pursuing him. Now a certain man drew a bow at
random, and struck the king of Israel between the joints of his armor. So he
said to the driver of his chariot, “Turn around and take me out of the battle,
for I am wounded.” The battle increased that day; and the king was propped up
in his chariot, facing the Syrians, and died at evening. The blood ran out from
the wound onto the floor of the chariot. Then, as the sun was going down, a
shout went throughout the army, saying, “Every man to his city, and every man
to his own country!”

a. Fight with no one small or great, but
only with the king of Israel: Ahab’s previous mercy to
Ben-Hadad did not win any lasting favor with the rulers of Syria. This strategy
of the Syrian army made Ahab’s counter-strategy of disguising himself in battle
seem very wise.

i. “Thus doth the unthankful
infidel repay the mercy of his late victor . . . but God had a holy hand in
it.” (Trapp)

b. Jehoshaphat
cried out: Finding himself as the only identifiable king in the battle,
Jehoshaphat found himself quickly in danger. He cried
out unto the Lord and
was rescued when they turned back from pursuing
him.

ii. After the close escape at
Ramoth Gilead, Jehoshaphat rededicated himself to the spiritual reform of
Judah: he went out again among the people from Beersheba to the mountains of
Ephraim, and brought them back to the Lord
God of their fathers (2 Chronicles 19:4).

c. Now
a certain man drew a bow at random, and struck the king of Israel:
This seemed to be pure chance. It was a certain
man, and he pulled his bow at random
- but it struck as if it were a sin-seeking missile. God orchestrated the
unintended actions of man to result in an exercise of His judgment.

i. “And now what joy could Ahab’s black soul, ready to depart,
have of his ivory house? Who had not rather be a Micaiah in the jail than Ahab
in the chariot? Wicked men have the advantage of the way, godly men of the
end.” (Trapp)

d. The king was propped up in his
chariot, facing the Syrians, and died at evening: Ahab faced the end
of his life bravely, dying propped up in his
chariot to inspire his troops. When his death became known the
battle was over.

i. “It appears that the Israelites
and Jews maintained the fight the whole of the day; but when at evening the
king died, and this was known, there was a proclamation made, probably with the
consent of both Syrians and Israelites, that the war was over.” (Clarke)

3.
(37-40) God’s word to Ahab is fulfilled.

So the king died, and was brought to Samaria. And they
buried the king in Samaria. Then someone washed the chariot at a pool in
Samaria, and the dogs licked up his blood while the harlots bathed, according
to the word of the Lord which He
had spoken. Now the rest of the acts of Ahab, and all that he did, the ivory
house which he built and all the cities that he built, are they not
written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel? So Ahab rested
with his fathers. Then Ahaziah his son reigned in his place.

a. So the king died: The word through the Prophet Micaiah proved true.
King Ahab never returned to Samaria or Israel in peace.

b. The dogs licked up his blood while the
harlots bathed: This was an almost fulfillment of
God’s word through Elijah in 1 Kings 21:19, where Elijah prophesied that dogs
would lick the blood of Ahab. This proved true, but not in the place
Elijah said it would happen. God relented from His original judgment against
Ahab announced in 1 Kings 21, but because of Ahab’s false repentance and
continued sin a very similar judgment came upon him.

c. According
to the word of the Lord which He
had spoken: There was another prophecy was fulfilled in the death of
Ahab. It was the word from the anonymous prophet of 1 Kings 20:42, that Ahab
spared Ben-Hadad’s life at the expense of his own.

d. The
ivory house which he built and all the cities that he built: By
materialist standards the reign of Ahab was a success. He was generally
militarily successful and enjoyed a generally prosperous economy. Yet
spiritually his reign was a disaster, one of the worst ever for Israel.

C. The reigns of
Jehoshaphat and Ahaziah.

1.
(41-50) Summary of the reign of Jehoshaphat.

Jehoshaphat the son of Asa had become king over Judah in the
fourth year of Ahab king of Israel. Jehoshaphat was thirty-five years
old when he became king, and he reigned twenty-five years in Jerusalem. His
mother’s name was Azubah the daughter of Shilhi. And he walked in all
the ways of his father Asa. He did not turn aside from them, doing what was right
in the eyes of the Lord.
Nevertheless the high places were not taken away, for the people offered
sacrifices and burned incense on the high places. Also Jehoshaphat made peace
with the king of Israel. Now the rest of the acts of Jehoshaphat, the might
that he showed, and how he made war, are they not written in the book of
the chronicles of the kings of Judah? And the rest of the perverted persons,
who remained in the days of his father Asa, he banished from the land. There
was then no king in Edom, only a deputy of the king. Jehoshaphat made
merchant ships to go to Ophir for gold; but they never sailed, for the ships
were wrecked at Ezion Geber. Then Ahaziah the son of Ahab said to Jehoshaphat, “Let
my servants go with your servants in the ships.” But Jehoshaphat would not. And
Jehoshaphat rested with his fathers, and was buried with his fathers in the
City of David his father. Then Jehoram his son reigned in his place.

a. Jehoshaphat the son of Asa:
Asa was a good king and Jehoshaphat his son followed in his footsteps and did what was right in the eyes of the Lord.

i. The writer of 1 Kings actually
summarized many of the remarkable accomplishments of Jehoshaphat, who was one
of the better kings of Judah. From 2 Chronicles we learn many of Jehoshaphat’s
other accomplishments.

·He sent teachers of God’s Word out to all his kingdom
(2 Chronicles 17:7-9).

·He established a permanent military garrison along the
northern frontier (2 Chronicles 17:1-2, 12).

·He trained and equipping a sizeable army (2 Chronicles
17:14-19) that was able to quell a Transjordan invasion (2 Chronicles 20:1-30).

·He placed Edom under Judean control, controlling an
important caravan route to the south (2 Kings 3:8-27; 2 Chronicles 20:36).

·God blessed his reign so much that the fear of the Lord came upon neighboring nations so
that they did not make war against Jehoshaphat (2 Chronicles 17:10).

·Jehoshaphat was also the king connected to the famous
incident when the army of Judah saw a great victory won as the Levites led the
battle with praise (2 Chronicles 20:15-23).

b. Nevertheless
the high places were not taken away: Jehoshaphat did not do everything
he should have as a king. Yet he reformed Israel even more deeply than Asa did
(the rest of the perverted persons, who remained
in the days of his father Asa, he banished from the land).

i. “In 2 Chronicles 17:6, it is expressly said, that he did
take way the high places. Allowing that the text is right in 2 Chronicles
the two places may be easily recognized. There were two kinds of high
places in the land: 1. Those used for idolatrous purposes. 2. Those
that were consecrate to God, and were used before the temple was built.
The former he did take away, the latter he did not.” (Clarke)

c. There was then no king in Edom:
“This note is introduced by the writer to account for Jehoshaphat’s building
ships at Ebion-geber, which was in the territory of the Edomites,
and which showed them to be at that time under the Jewish yoke.” (Clarke)

d. Let my servants go with your
servants in the ships: After a disastrous shipping venture
Jehoshaphat was tempted to make an alliance with Israel, but Jehoshaphat would not. This was to his credit.
He learned the lesson of not entering a partnership with the ungodly.

i. 2 Chronicles 20:35-37 tells us
more about this shipping venture with Israel. It tells us that Jehoshaphat did
make an alliance with Ahaziah and it ended in disaster. The Lord told Jehoshaphat why: Because
you have allied yourself with Ahaziah, the Lord
has destroyed your works (2 Chronicles 20:37). It was after this
word of the Lord that Jehoshaphat
turned down the offer of a continued alliance with King Ahaziah of Israel.

e. Then Jehoram his son reigned in
his place: Jehoshaphat gave his son Jehoram to Athaliah in marriage,
the daughter of Ahab and Jezebel (2 Chronicles 18:1). This was a serious error
because the reign of Ahaziah was a spiritual and national disaster for Judah
because Jehoram walked in the ways of the kings of Israel, just as the house
of Ahab had done, for he had the daughter of Ahab as a wife (2 Chronicles
21:6). The ill effects of this were felt even to the next generation, because
Ahaziah the son of Jehoram was also a bad king for Judah (2 Chronicles 22:2-4).

2.
(51-53) The evil reign of King Ahaziah of Israel, the son of Ahab.

Ahaziah the son of Ahab became king over Israel in Samaria
in the seventeenth year of Jehoshaphat king of Judah, and reigned two years
over Israel. He did evil in the sight of the Lord,
and walked in the way of his father and in the way of his mother and in the way
of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who had made Israel sin; for he served Baal and
worshiped him, and provoked the Lord
God of Israel to anger, according to all that his father had done.

a. He reigned two years over Israel:
Ahab reigned 22 years, but his son only reigned two years. Though his repentance
was shallow, when Ahab repented after an announcement of judgment in 1 Kings
21, God relented from the immediate judgment and promised to bring judgment in
the days of Ahab’s son. Ahaziah’s short reign was a fulfillment of this
prophecy in 1 Kings 21:29.

i. “By comparing this verse with
verse 41, it appears that Ahaziah was made king by his father, and reigned in
conjunction with him, a year or two before Ahab’s death.” (Poole)

b. He
did evil in the sight of the Lord,
and walked in the way of his father and in the way of his mother and in the way
of Jeroboam: Considering the sinful ways of Jeroboam, Ahab, and
Jezebel, there is hardly anything worse that could be said of a king.

i. With this, the Book of 1 Kings
ends on a low note. It began with the promise of the twilight of Israel
greatest king, David. It ends with the sad reign of one of the most wicked
kings over a divided nation.